 Ginger nut biscuits made byArnott's Biscuits | |
| Alternative names | Ginger nut, ginger biscuit |
|---|---|
| Type | Biscuit |
| Main ingredients | Powderedginger,spices (commonlycinnamon andnutmeg) |
Agingersnap,[1]ginger snap,ginger nut,[2] orginger biscuit is abiscuit flavoured withginger. Ginger snaps are flavoured with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, most commonlycinnamon,molasses[3] andclove.[4] There are many recipes.[5] The brittle ginger nut style is a commercial version of the traditional fairings once made for market fairs now represented only by theCornish fairing.[citation needed]
Ginger nuts are not to be confused withpepper nuts, which are a variety ofgingerbread, somewhat smaller in diameter, but thicker.
Northern European ginger nuts, also called ginger bread orbrunkage inDanish (literally, 'brown cookie'),pepparkakor inSwedish,piparkakut inFinnish,piparkūkas inLatvian,[6]piparkoogid inEstonian andpepperkaker inNorwegian (literally, 'pepper cakes'), are rolled quite thin (often under 3 mm (0.12 in) thick), and cut into shapes; they are smooth and are usually much thinner and hence crisper (and in some cases, more strongly flavoured) than most global varieties.Cloves, cinnamon andcardamom are important ingredients of these, and the actual ginger taste is not prominent.Allspice and cloves have been used to season ginger biscuits.[7]
In 2009,McVitie's Ginger Nuts were listed as the tenth most popular biscuit in the UK todunk into tea.[8]
In Australia, produced since the 1900s,[9]Arnott's Biscuits manufactures four different regional varieties of ginger nut to suit the tastes of people in different states.[10] The darker and more bitter Queensland biscuit is 8.5 grams (0.30 oz) in weight, and average about 6.5 millimetres (0.26 in) in thickness, compared to the lighter South Australia biscuit is heavier at 11.7 grams (0.41 oz) in weight, and average about 8.6 millimetres (0.34 in) in thickness.
Ginger nuts are the most sold biscuit inNew Zealand, normally attributed to its tough texture which can withstand dunking into liquid. Leading biscuit manufacturerGriffin's estimates 60 million of these cookies are produced each year. This has become the title of a book,60 Million Gingernuts, a chronicle of New Zealand records.[11][12][13]
In Canada and the United States, the cookies are usually referred to as ginger snaps. Further, they are generally rounddrop cookies, usually between1⁄8 and1⁄4 inch (3–6 mm) thick, with noticeable cracks in the top surface.[citation needed]
Media related toGingerbread cookies at Wikimedia Commons